Thanks Warren Mallard for taking the time to express your view about PI badges and people that want to have one. ed.
PI Badges
Recently I became aware of one of my investigators carrying a badge that declared he was a Private Detective. He no longer works for me.
When the NAI (National Association Of Investigators 1990) was running and when I was President, the NAI took the initiative and did manufacture a badge however this badge was to declare the holder was licensed and a member of the NAI. This was a credibility badge when licenses were on paper and in a disgusting green plastic folder with stuck-in or stapled-in photos that anyone could change and frankly no one believed you were an investigator. I still believe it was a good idea at that time, provided the badge came with conditions and was industry regulated. This badge did come with conditions, first you had to be a member of the NAI (vetted by your industry peers) This also meant you had to have a current license. We kept records of all badges which were inscribed with the license number and date of expiry. We realised then that this was not what we ultimately wanted but it was the best we had at this time.
Myself and other members of the IMA (Institute Of Mercantile Agents) lobbied the State Government and we were successful in obtaining a credible identification card. This is the card you are all issued with today. This is not about someone making money selling badges its about the industry having credibility. Now we have a licensing identification, security protected card and I see no valid reason for these badges except the profit of the retailers. The only reason have one of these badges now is to flex muscle and be a pretend cop and of course for someone to make a dollar encouraging people to buy them. We don't need this image at a time when red neck investigators are fronting court and being sentenced for pretending to be police officers or investigators tapping mobile phones, placing tracking devices on vehicles and a whole host of other illegal and indictable activities.
We don't need investigators flashing badges, we need them to understand that wrong is wrong and to go down this pathway without understanding the Commercial and Private Inquiry Agents Act, the Listening Devices Act, the Telecommunications Interceptions Act and the laws of trespass they are doomed to end up in the very same predicament that this last fool did. The CAPI Act sets out that when dealing with a client or other persons under certain circumstances, you must identify yourself as a licensed investigator and the license you are issued with is the only acceptable form of identification. To use another form such as a badge places you in breach of the CAPI legislation.
To place a tracking device onto a vehicle without the permission of all owners or users of that vehicle is an offence under a number of pieces of State legislation. To intercept conversations or text messages on phones (mobile or fixed) is a Federal Criminal Indictable Offence. To have in your possession devices that can be used to record conversations or text messages on phones is also an Indictable Federal offence.
Frankly I am tired of people bringing down all the hard work I and other prominent industry members have worked tirelessly and selflessly to achieve and I take the position now that if I become aware of these people using or selling these devices I make formal written complaints to the relevant authorities.
Lets clean up the image that we struggled to achieve and get rid of these dangerous cowboys who do the law abiding majority an injustice. If you have information about the unlawful use of tracking devices, listening devices and text message capture devices please let me know.
Warren Mallard
Managing Director
Certificate IV Investigative Practice & Procedure
Advanced Diploma Security Risk Management
Lyonswood Investigations & Forensic Group
Master Private Investigators License No: 409413361
Master Security License No: 408273284
www.investigators.net.au
www.forensicitservices.com.au
www.catchacheatingspouse.com.au
www.missingpeople.net.au
1300 GET PROOF
1300 438 776
DX 21007 Drummoyne NSW